Pick up where you left off.
Course Content
Interpreting NatHERS Reports for Renovation Projects
The star rating says how bad the house is. The loads and zone data say what to fix first.
How to read a NatHERS certificate on an existing house as a diagnostic, not a score. Load profiles, element tables and zone data turned into orientation, envelope, glazing and zoning advice, the limits older dwellings put on what is achievable, and a fabric first retrofit strategy that meets both the star rating and the separate heating and cooling load limits, with condensation risk managed.
Secure card checkout. Tax invoice emailed.
4 modules, 2 case studies, final quiz and certificate.
Introduction and objectives
Why renovation work needs more from a NatHERS report than the star rating, and what you will be able to do by the end.
Analysing NatHERS Outputs
Read every section of the certificate, separate heating from cooling loads, and check both load limits as well as the stars.
Translating Data into Design Advice
Turn load and zone findings into specific advice on shading, glazing, insulation, thermal breaks, air sealing and zoning.
Evaluating Existing Building Limitations
Weigh what older construction, heritage overlays, access and missing drawings allow, and keep modelling assumptions conservative.
Developing Retrofit Strategies
Sequence fabric first and services second through the Whole of Home pathway, and manage the condensation risk a tighter envelope brings.
A renovation with an addition, and a 1970s brick veneer
An addition that must meet the star rating and both load limits, and an upgrade shaped by a tight subfloor and crushed insulation.
Key takeaways
The checks to run on the next certificate you are handed for an existing house.
Final quiz and certificate
Ten questions on certificate outputs, load limits, building constraints and retrofit strategy. Pass and the certificate goes straight into your dashboard.
Intermediate. For people who already read or produce NatHERS certificates and now work on alterations and additions to existing houses. Covers certificate outputs, heating and cooling load limits, design advice from the data, constraints in older dwellings, retrofit sequencing, Whole of Home and condensation risk. It is written to NCC 2022 and does not teach a particular software package.
Written for everyone who turns an existing house’s rating into a renovation.
Architects
You design alterations to houses whose existing rating tells you far more than the star number suggests.
Building designers
You turn an assessor’s report into a renovation brief and need to know which upgrade actually moves the loads.
Energy assessors
You model existing houses from incomplete drawings, and your client wants advice, not just a rating.
Building surveyors
You check that alterations and additions meet the star rating and both load limits.
Residential builders
You build the upgrades, and crushed insulation or a missed seal undoes what the model promised.
Where this hour goes on your record.
National Standard of Competency for Architects (NSCA 2021) performance criteria this course aligns with:
Assessing the project against codes and standards
Building science to optimise performance
Energy and sustainability over the lifecycle
Integrating thermal and environmental systems
Performance standards for materials and systems
| If you are | How it is recorded |
|---|---|
| An energy assessor | 1 hour of technical CPD on NatHERS assessment of existing dwellings and retrofit advice. Your certificate, the learning outcomes, the module outline and your quiz result are kept in your dashboard for your accrediting organisation’s records. |
| An architect | 1 formal CPD point. Aligned with NSCA 2021 performance criteria PC20, PC28, PC31, PC33 and PC45. |
| A building designer, surveyor or builder | 1 hour of CPD on energy efficiency in alterations and additions, recorded on your certificate for your registration body or state scheme. |
CPD On Demand is not a registered training organisation and courses are not accredited by any registration body. Each course is aligned with the relevant competency frameworks and gives you the records to evidence it. CPD rules differ by registration body and state, so check with yours if you are unsure.
Pairs well with.
NatHERS for Existing Homes: What Every New Homes Assessor Needs to Know
Rating the existing house you are about to renovate, from the site visit to the certificate.
Designing Thermal Zones for Better NatHERS Performance
Getting the zones right before you read the zone by zone loads.
The Breathable Wall: Understanding Condensation Risks in NCC 2025
The condensation risk that comes with insulating and sealing an older envelope.
Before you enrol.
Read the report on an existing house and turn it into a retrofit plan that holds up, in one self-paced hour.
$99, 60 minutes, certificate on completion.